1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates the formation of metal cladding upon a target substrate, and particularly to methods and apparatus for forming a cladding using a high energy density fusion cladding process and other variations thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
There exists an urgent need in the industry for corrosion, erosion and wear resistant clad products, and in particular clad pipes, plates and bars. These products have a wide variety of application in multiple industries including oil and gas, chemical and petrochemical, infrastructure, marine, mining and mineral processing, for example. It has been reported that tens to hundreds of billions of dollars are spent annually to remedy the effects of corrosion in each such industry. Further, the surfaces of these products may also subjected to erosion and wear. For example, such products may be exposed to certain environments or employed to convey particular materials that may promote erosion or wear along an exterior or interior surface of the product.
Several methods and processes have been used to manufacture clad metal, such as co-extrusion, roll bonding, explosion bonding, and weld overlay/laser cladding. These processes, however, are labor intensive, costly, and/or may provide difficulties in obtaining desired cladding on particular products. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide alternative solutions for improved formation of cladding upon desired substrates.